Connected: An Internet Encyclopedia
UDP Protocol Overview

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### UDP Protocol Overview

UDP provides users access to IP-like services. UDP packets are delivered just like IP packets - connection-less datagrams that may be discarded before reaching their targets. UDP is useful when TCP would be too complex, too slow, or just unnecessary.

UDP provides a few functions beyond that of IP:

- Port Numbers. UDP provides 16-bit port numbers to let multiple processes use UDP services on the same host. A UDP address is the combination of a 32-bit IP address and the 16-bit port number.

- Checksuming. Unlike IP, UDP does checksum its data, ensuring data integrety. A packet failing checksum is simply discarded, with no further action taken.

### Related Information

- RFC 768 - UDP Protocol Specification

Connected: An Internet Encyclopedia
UDP Protocol Overview